Sales coaching is an essential role for sales managers in this recession. Without a dynamic and enthusiastic manager, many sales teams will be unable to re-orientate themselves to take advantage of the opportunities that are still out there.
Relying on training alone has been proven to be a bad idea. Achieving real change in a significant and tangible manner requires effective change management that acknowledges and incorporates the basic principles behind adult learning.
One of the facts behind changing behavior permanently is that there has to be a component whereby changes are measured and rewarded. Organizations do not change voluntarily. Staff members will not willingly embrace a change that is demanded of them. If their performance is measured and rewarded they will change more easily.
Adults will only learn something new if they can see it is important and that it applies to their situation. If the sales coaching appears to be relevant to their job and they can see that it will make a difference they will be more willing to learn and apply the new practices to their jobs.
Spending a great deal of time away from the office, in a classroom style setting, is not productive unless the training requires feedback and practice one-on-one. Courses of this nature can also be expensive as they require hiring venues, providing catering and paying for hotel room and transport to and from the office. It is much better to get a program going in-house that will allow individuals to study at their own speed and to integrate their learning immediately into their everyday work habits. This sort of learning seems to take better and to make a measurable change to the work habits of the employees.
In particular, organizations and the people in them do not change overnight. To change successfully will require constant reinforcement and reminders from management. The sales manager in particular needs to encourage change by having a do-what-I-do approach so that staff members can mimic his or her performance. Everybody learns better by example and the sales manager’s attitude and approach is paramount here.
Individuals will need coaching and objective assessment to achieve true change. A buddy system or a mentoring system is valuable in this context as sales coaching needs a personalized touch in-house as much as is required in the new client relationship. Sales team members must feel that it matters how they perform as individuals.
